Five Liverpool players who need to move on after Joe Allen comments
Published:
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | September 7, 2016
Former Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen, now with Stoke City, says he felt he had to “move on” from Anfield in a recent interview.
“I think it had come to the point where I needed to move on,” Allen told the BBC. “Personally, it was pretty obvious. Any player will tell you regular football makes tonnes of difference to the way you perform and the way you feel out on the football pitch. It comes to a certain stage in your career where if it’s not happening, then you have to go and seek it out.”
Bearing Wales pass-master Allen’s comments in mind, Coral football experts have got their heads together and come up with five current Liverpool players who, for one reason or another, may need to move too.
Daniel Sturridge
One player who can’t seem to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s plans is Sturridge, with rumours abound on transfer deadline day that he was being offered to Arsenal, and they are at 6/1 odds to be his next club.
Nobody has ever doubted the England forward’s talent, but his fitness record is patchy at best. Klopp has called out his pain management before, and prefers Roberto Firmino as a false nine or Divock Origi instead.
You just don’t get the sense that the Reds’ German gaffer trusts Sturridge, so despite his obvious qualities it might best if he were to move on from Liverpool in the winter window if things don’t change between now and then.
Philippe Coutinho
Now, this might be a controversial one, but the Reds’ most-talented names of recent years have left Merseyside in search of silverware. Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling are notable examples.
Brazil attacker Coutinho is a two-time Liverpool Player of the Year with an eye for the spectacular strike, and has been linked with following Suarez to Barcelona in the past.
As much as Reds fans don’t like to admit it, for the sake of his career, Coutinho may have to move on from them. We offer Liverpool trophy specials for this season, with the club odds-on at 4/9 not to lift one and alternatively 13/8 to scoop a major cup.
Lucas Leiva
Like fellow anchorman Allen before him, Lucas now finds himself looking at the first-team picture from the fringes of things at Anfield.
Should he stay for the rest of this season and fight for his place, then this Brazilian holding player will have racked up a decade’s worth of service in front of the Kop.
Klopp is playing some open football with Liverpool right now, and club captain Jordan Henderson is the most defensively-minded midfielder in his system. Lucas may thus have to look to move on if he wants regular football.
Alberto Moreno
When James Milner is selected of you at left back and it’s your natural position not his, well the writing is on the wall.
Moreno was woeful in the Reds’ Premier League season opener against Arsenal, and rightly lost his place. This problem position notwithstanding, his defensive instincts are absent.
Not everyone can play like Spain national team counterpart Jordi Alba and get away with it. Now he’s out of favour with Klopp, Moreno must consider the need to move on from Anfield.
Mamadou Sakho
Fresh from a drugs ban, France centre back Sakho has always been rash in the tackle and his defensive decision-making generally.
What he lacks in discipline might also be a similar story when it comes to common sense. Reportedly turning down loan moves, including to Stoke where Allen is, to fight for his first-team place seems foolish.
Klopp may yet have to turn to Sakho through necessity if an injury crisis befalls other defenders, but his displays have never been consistent in a Liverpool shirt. Instead of being stubborn, he should’ve moved on.
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